On this page
- Your first payment
- Receiving your Old Age Security pension outside of Canada
- Old Age Security pension payments are taxable income
- If your situation changes
Your first payment
You will receive your first Old Age Security (OAS) payment either:
- the month after you turn 65
- the specific date that you’ve chosen
The Benefits payment calendar has details of the exact date Old Age Security payments are made.
Receiving your OAS pension outside of Canada
You can qualify to receive Old Age Security pension payments while living outside of Canada if one if these reasons applies to you:
- you lived in Canada for at least 20 years after turning 18
- you lived and worked in a country that has a social security agreement with Canada. The time you lived or worked in that country and Canada must be at least 20 years
If you do not qualify to receive your Old Age Security pension while outside of Canada, your payments will stop if you are out of the country for more than 6 months after the month you left.
You cannot collect the Guaranteed Income Supplement if you are outside Canada for more than 6 months.
Old Age Security pension payments are taxable income
Your Old Age Security pension payments are taxable income. Taxes aren’t automatically deducted each month. You can ask that federal income tax be deducted from your monthly payment by:
- signing into your My Service Canada Account or
- completing the Request for voluntary Federal Income tax Deductions CPP/OAS form (ISP-3520OAS) form and mailing it to us or dropping it off at a Service Canada office
If you do not ask for monthly tax deductions, you may have to pay your income tax each quarter. For more information, contact theCanada Revenue Agency (CRA) Tax Services Office.
Taxes if you live outside Canada
If you live outside Canada and are not considered a Canadian resident for income tax purposes, we withhold a non-resident tax from your monthly Old Age Security payments. The tax rate is 25% unless reduced or exempted by a tax treaty between Canada and your country of residence. If you have tax-related questions, contact Canada Revenue Agency's International Tax Services Office.
T4 and NR4 tax information slips
Early each year, you will receive a T4 or NR4 tax slip showing the amount you received during the previous year. You must include this slip when you file your annual income tax return by mail or in person.
T4 tax information slips are for residents of Canada, while NR4 tax information slips are for those living outside Canada.
How to get copies of your tax slips
With My Service Canada Account
You can view and print official copies of your tax information slips online with My Service Canada Account.
With the Canada Revenue Agency
You can access your T4 tax information online with the Canada Revenue Agency through the following services:
- My Account
View and print your tax information online. - Represent a Client
Access tax information on behalf of someone else. - Auto-fill my Return
Certified software that automatically fills in parts of your electronic tax return.
If you have not signed up to view them online, we will send your tax slip by mail in February of each year.
If your situation changes
If your personal information or marital status changes
You must contact us if:
- you change your address or phone number
- you get married
- you enter into a common-law union
- you divorce or separate
- your spouse or common-law partner dies
- a beneficiary dies
If you have an address outside of Canada, you will only be able to view your information online. It is not yet possible to change the information for foreign addresses and direct deposit online. Contact us to update your account information.
If you want to cancel or delay your Old Age Security payments
If you have been receiving Old Age Security for less than 6 months, you can ask us to cancel or delay your first payment. Write to us within 6 months of receiving your first payment.
From the date your request is granted, you have 6 months to repay any amounts that you received and any related benefits you and/or your spouse or common-law partner received.
You can re-apply at a later date and receive an increased Old Age Security pension.
If you leave Canada for more than 6 months
If you do not qualify for receiving Old Age Security outside Canada, your payments will stop if you are out of the country for more than 6 months after the month you left. You cannot collect the Guaranteed Income Supplement if you are outside of Canada for more than 6 months.
Example
For example, you do not qualify for receiving Old Age Security payments outside Canada and have left Canada in January. You would only be eligible for payments until the end of July.
If you plan to be absent from Canada for more than 6 months, you must contact us to avoid an overpayment.
Service Canada compares information with the Canada Border Services Agency. If you leave Canada for more than 6 months while collecting Old Age Security, we’ll determine if you’re eligible to those payments. If not, we’ll calculate how much we have overpaid you, and you will then have to repay that amount.
Note: You could be fined for giving false, misleading, or purposely omitted information.
You can also come forward to correct wrong or incomplete information or to give important information that you haven’t already shared with Service Canada. Learn about Penalties, Interest and Disclosure Policy.
If you return to Canada
When you return to Canada, contact us to restart your payments.
If you are in jail
Your Old Age Security payments will stop if you are in a federal prison serving a sentence of 2 years or more. You must notify Service Canada in writing of your release and your payments will start again the month you are released.
When someone dies
If you're reading this following the loss of a loved one, please accept our condolences.
When someone dies, please inform us as soon as possible to avoid an overpayment. Find out how to cancel Old Age Security benefits on behalf of a deceased person.
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